B for Boy, 2013.
Written and Directed by Chika Anadu.
Starring Ngozi Nwaneto, Uche Nwadili, Nonso Odogwu and Frances Okeke.
SYNOPSIS:
B for Boy is a contemporary drama set in Nigeria, about one woman’s desperate need for a male child; which reveals the discrimination of women in the names of culture and religion.
As you can probably tell from the synopsis, this is a drama unlike many modern English and American pictures. This is a heavy, upsetting and distinctly Nigerian film with a story that would be unfamiliar to most of us.
The story begins with Amaka, a heavily pregnant Nigerian woman who is under pressure from her family for her unborn child to be a boy. The reason for this is due to the fact that she has only one child so far with her husband Nonso and it’s a girl – something that doesn’t sit well as all Nigerian men must have a son to carry on the family name.
When her husband is away on business a tragedy occurs and she loses her baby. Unfortunately for her, the loss of this baby also means that she can no longer bear children.
Still in shock from this ordeal, she doesn’t know what to say to her husband and lies about it, planning to tell him when he gets home. Unfortunately though, Nonso’s family are still heaping pressure on her about having a son, even going as far as saying that Nonso should marry a second wife to ensure his name continues. Amaka tries several times to come clean but, as is the case when lying to loved ones, it’s never the right moment and so the lie becomes even greater. Because of this, Amaka stays silent and begins her search for a son.
While that is a long explanation of the set up of the story, it really only is a small portion of the movie. What follows is of real importance – the beginning of a desperate and hopeless tale of a woman trapped in a lie from which there seems little escape.
The story itself is troublingly well crafted from start to finish. We watch as Amaka barely copes under the strain of such a momentous deception and you can’t help but empathise with her as she crumbles in the face of such adversity.
The story will pretty much leave anyone in a hopeless stupor and much of the credit for this has to go to the director, Chika Anadu.
What Anadu has done is at times spellbinding as she uses a near perfect blend of muted colours, simple music and an excellent use of dialogue which in key scenes leaves you on the edge of your seat as you worry for Amaka.
Anadu also uses the cameras to great effect and regularly drifts across the characters on screen during some of the most troubling scenes which gives the illusion that you are there with them and cannot stand to watch – something that feels entirely justified.
The one major issue that you could find in this film is that the quality of some of the actors doesn’t quite live up to the quality of the story. An example would be Amaka herself, played by Uche Nwadili. While she does her very best to contend with the weight of the story, as times you feel as Nwadili isn’t quite on par with the script and this can sometimes give you a little too much reprieve from what’s going on – something which, although welcome, lessens the impact that this could have made.
One actor who does shine however is Nonso Odogwu who plays Amaka’s husband, also named Nonso. Odogwu somehow manages to masterfully portray a character who is both fierce and warm as well as gentle and firm – something he should be given high praise for as in less capable hands this could have been overplayed in a variety of ways.
There is much more you could praise or critique in this film but instead I’ll simply say that this is a thoroughly intelligent and well balanced look into Nigerian family politics that could end up making some of you feel as lost and hopeless as the characters that it portrays.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Ozzy Armstrong is a Stargate and Rocky superfan. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published October 13, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
